UNAS activities still suspended, but campus opens
UNAS activities still suspended, but campus opens
JAKARTA (JP): The disputed biology campus of Universitas
Nasional (UNAS), one of Indonesia's oldest privately run
universities, has yet to resume academic activity although it
reopened yesterday after being closed down for over a week due to
internal bickering.
Responding to students' demands, the university's rector,
Prof. Achmad Baiquni, last Saturday inspected the campus located
on Jl. Kebon Binatang, Ragunan, South Jakarta.
The Ragunan campus was closed down on the night of June 25,
and fenced with three-meter-high metal sheets obstructing any
view of the campus buildings from the outside.
Several men wearing plain clothes, claiming to be from the
army, meticulously guarded the campus, taking exception to anyone
entering or even trying to observe the campus site.
According to witnesses, five trucks arrived that evening
taking furniture and seizing documents from the building.
A sign was put up at the metal fence that read "this building
is under renovation, no one is allowed entry ... on orders of the
UNAS rector No. 180/R/VI/1994."
Trouble at UNAS has been brewing for the past two years since
the previous rector and founder of the university, Sutan Takdir
Alisjahbana, dismissed 15 lecturers.
Upon Takdir's retirement, the new rector, Baiquni, reinstated
the 15 lecturers. This infuriated Takdir, who, as head of the
Yayasan Memajukan Ilmu dan Kebudayaan, the foundation in charge
of UNAS, tried to discharge Baiquni.
The recent move to renovate the Ragunan campus has been
interpreted by many students as a way for those under Baiquni at
the other UNAS campus at Pejaten, South Jakarta, to take over the
Ragunan site.
Meeting with Baiquni last Thursday, representatives of the
biology students senate explained that his actions had caused the
academic activities of the biology faculty to be suspended.
Following the meeting, the head of the senate of the biology
students, Cahyo Utomo, told his fellow students that Baiquni's
decision was not meant to interfere with the students' studies.
Baiquni thus promised to inspect the campus site and gave
assurances that the situation would return to normal by Monday
(yesterday).
The rector kept his promise and examined the campus on
Saturday, reiterating that students would be able to return by
Monday.
"If there are students who wish to do research or complete
their theses, we will let them do that," he said on Saturday as
quoted by Republika, adding the renovations will take about one
month.
Disappointed
Despite Baiquni's assurances, many students were disappointed
yesterday when they found that the campus was not functioning
normally as earlier promised. In fact most of the metal sheets
have not been taken down.
"I am very disappointed with the whole proceedings," said
Novi, a final-year student studying biology.
Her disappointment was shared by many of her colleagues, who
were not merely frustrated at the week-long closure of their
campus, but at the way the faculty have handled the problems.
A student who asked to remain anonymous told The Jakarta Post
that the biology students have fallen victims to a long-drawn
dispute between two warring parties.
She explained that the current dispute within the biology
administration is occurring at the expense of the students.
As a result of this "power struggle," biology credits taken
at the Ragunan campus during the past two years are not
recognized at Pejaten.
"Because of this I have to take all my courses again, despite
the fact that I have only my final thesis left," she said.
The struggle for power between the two campuses has also led
to a parallel faculty staff, with those currently teaching at
Ragunan likely to be dismissed if the school in Pejaten takes
over the Ragunan campus.
"If they fire the lecturers at Ragunan, it means many of us
will have to do our thesis again since our councilors are all
teachers at Ragunan," said Novi who is currently writing on
cattle farming. (mds)